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Promotion
and better respect for minority rights at the
local level in Albania
08.07. 2007
The Albanian Helsinki Committee
is the first non-governmental organization
founded on December 19, 1990, as the Forum for
the Protection of Fundamental Human Freedoms and
Rights. On March 22, 1992, the organization
became a member of the International Helsinki
Federation for Human Rights, assuming the name
the Albanian Helsinki Committee. AHC’s main
mission is to monitor respect for human rights
and freedoms, reinstate violated rights, making
citizens aware of the protection of their rights
and freedoms, and improvement of legislation and
law enforcement practice through critiques and
recommendations. Part of this mission is also
raising the accountability of the public
administration in correctly enforcing laws
through building the capacities of this
administration.
Protection and promotion of
minority rights in Albania has been and remains
one of the main directions of the activity of
the Albanian Helsinki Committee since its
foundation.
In order to guarantee better
enforcement of domestic and international
legislation as well as of international
recommendations for improving respect for
minority rights in general and the rights of the
Roma minority and the Egyptian community in
particular, AHC has begun the implementation of
the project “Increasing the role of civil
society and state institutions in the promotion
and better respect for minority rights.” The
main objective of the project is to monitor
minority access to the public administration and
contribute to drafting local development
policies for the benefit also of minorities and
needy communities.
An important part of the project
is the monitoring of local level measures in
Tiranë, Fier, Elbasan, and Gjirokastër to
increase access of minority representatives to
local government and decision making.
For the implementation of the
project, AHC will cooperate closely with local
government bodies in the relevant
municipalities. Involving citizens of the
municipalities in general and minority
representatives in particular will be an
important element for an objective assessment of
the situation of minority rights at the local
level.
Furthermore, in order to enhance
the role of minority organizations, AHC will
cooperate with Roma and Egyptian organizations
to lobby for improving respect for their rights.
An important element in the
project is to contribute to improving the
Albanian legal and sub-legal framework in
accordance with international standards.
AHC believes that fruitful
cooperation and coordination of efforts by civil
society actors, state institutions, and local
government bodies, will be a valuable
contribution for the improvement of respect for
minority rights in Albania and for increasing
their participation in the public administration
and decision making.
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